It's Officially Official......

Yup, it definitely is...... after not one but four night's of stitching this week..... the mojo is finally back and looks like it might just be staying around for the forseeable future. Yay! That is worth a Happy Dance all of its own! LOL

So what has had me sat and busily plying my needle on those four nights? Well... there's the start of the new series of V, a couple of documentaries on Ancient Egypt that I hadn't seen (a feat in itself, as I have usually watched everything there is about that era several times over), a couple of episodes of Criminal Minds I hadn't seen before, plus a new Sunday evening historical drama on Channel 4, called Pillars of the Earth... worth watching just for the main character of Tom Builder! LOL And which one, out of several WIP's and UFO's, received my attention, I hear you all asking.... it was the Janlynn Tiger I've been stitching for my Development Circle friend G. In fact I got so much done, this was the result:

Yes, folks, we have an actual finished piece..... and there's a major Happy Dance going on here at the moment. I can't tell you just how good that feels after such a very long hiatus! LOL It is so good to finally be back stitching again.... I feel like throwing a party for that long-gone mojo.

Soooooo....... now that the Tiger is completed, a frame has been freed up..... and I've already got the fabric for a new WIP on it, ready for tonight. Fingers crossed there's something good on TV, to ensure my butt stays firmly in my armchair to make a good start on it. Yes, I know you're all wanting to know what the new WIP is going to be.... but you're just going to have to be patient until next time, when there'll hopefully be enough stitching done to show you all a pic. Cue *evil laugh* here. ;0)

So, what else has been going on since my last post? Well, the play my DS was in and DH was Stage Manager for went well - not the greatest aucdience turn outs each night, but not bad for an am dram production. The book An Inspector Calls is currently on the high school curriculum, so it was nice to see one of the schools sending along the students to watch the play - and the cast did a post-performance Q&A session with the kids and teachers who attended. Methinks the grades for that particular school might just be up this year, as they got a lot out of it. :0)

Right when the post-show blues hit my DS, he got a letter to say he didn't get the job he'd applied for - that's the third (or is it fourth?) time this has happened and it's not doing his confidence any good at all. The feedback he was promised from certain of the interviewers hasn't been forthcoming either, so he doesn't know what the problem is, if any (there does seem to be an awful lot of in-house moves going on... kinda seems a waste of his energy applying if he doesn't stand a chance from the outset). So he's now extending his search for a new job outside of the company he currently works for. Fingers crossed he gets something soon. Meantime, the readings for the Panto have been and gone and it's now cast - DS has a minor role in this but he does have a sword fighting scene to do, so he'll have fun with that. The rehearsals will be starting shortly, so it should help to take his mind off the recent disappointment.

Things are a bit up-and-down with the Development Circle - sometimes I do well and others not so great..... the weeks I do well keep me going back for more. LOL I am really getting into the Pendulum Dowsing and am practising that a few times a week. My DS bought me a great Reiki manual recently (a belated Birthday gift), so I'll start reading that before too much longer, ready for when I eventually train to do Reiki. I had the Reflexology session... and what a treat that was. A lovely foot massage and manipulation that left me feeling great. It was also very interesting when it came to the effects of the manipulation - I could actually feel a gentle movement in the various areas of my body that corresponded with the areas on my feet that were being pressed.... and several times I could actually feel pops in my feet as the blocks were cleared. The practitioner could also tell me, from the feel of my feet, what my problem areas are: my neck and shoulder and part of my back; hips (I've suspected for a while that some of my back trouble is originating from my hips) and breathing/the lung channel (I struggle to co-ordinate the meditation breathing/pulling in energy exercises) and a couple of other things. All told I was really impressed and would recommend this treatment (providing you get a good practitioner). It was interesting chatting to the practitioner too and I like her approach to healing and hope to go back for some more sessions before too long. Meantime, the acupuncture Clinic has re-opened for business and it looks great.... and the feel of the place is so much higher and lighter, iykwim. It was so much more relaxing, I had just about fallen asleep by the time the acupuncturist came back in to remove the needles.

As for the weight: I have been off the tortilla chips for over a week now, going cold turkey. The cravings seem to have hit me hard this last few days. Unfortunately our scales are on the blink so I have no idea if I've actually lost any of the regained weight..... guess I'll know I have when my jeans aren't quite so hugging any more. LOL I'm not going to beat myself up about this though.... I'm still far lighter and healthier than I was. :0)

There hasn't been much progress in the DIY jobs department lately, as DH has been quite busy at work and the weather hasn't been that kind. He has been up on the extension roof today (Sunday) giving it a bit of a clean and adding some sealant along various bits, to try and stop the rain getting in. I gave the lawn what I hope will now be its final mow of the season. Various bits of cutting back and the like have also been done at various times, as well as some weeding, to try and get it looking half way decent before it gets too cold and wet to go out there at all. I've moved the blueberry bush into the greenhouse already, as the first frosts of the year are threatened this week... the baby fuschia will be joining it and so will the larger one, once it's been dug up from the garden and potted up.

The auction selling has been continuing, as the free listing has been coming along regularly... and I've been really good, as I've only bought a couple of items. Must remember to share pics of those next time round too. I've also been having a steady catch up with blog reading too. I know I still owe quite a few of you a visit and I will be by soon, it's just that there's a huge backlog to catch up with.... and I can't just scan through, as I'm real nosey and like to catch up with all of your news.

Thank you for taking the time to visit and for the kind comments you leave. Hope you've all had a good weekend and have a gentle start to the new week. :0)

Poor Neglected Blog!

Yes, this seems to have become a poor neglected blog of late and you can blame it all on the garden, as I've been out there whenever the opportunity has arisen, often only coming back inside when it's got too dark to see what I'm doing. Of course, that means that there's been a minimum of stitching progress.... and without much stitching progress to show you all there didn't seem much point in blogging.

There has been a little progress on the tiger since my last post though, so I thought I'd pop in to share that:

He's looking like the master of all he surveys now, isn't he? There's still a fair bit to go, as there's his neck area to stitch in, as well as a fancy border down the left side. Unfortunately the stitching mojo has decided to get the hump because the gardening mojo has taken over the evenings, so even when it was raining and I was stuck inside a couple of evenings last week the needles stayed in the case and I had to go find something else to do. Annoying that, ain't it? LOL

Still, the garden is slowly starting to take shape... or, rather, parts of it are. ;0) DH and I spent a little time figuring out what size of greenhouse we would like and doing some measuring out, to get an idea of how much of the garden it would take up. The sticks are placed where the corners of the various sizes would end up being:

We finally decided on a 6'3 x 6'4 layout. The roof will be aligned to face the same way as the workshop, with the door facing the back of the workshop, where we'll be laying a few slabs first to make a small path. So it will be the back of the workshop, then some slabs laid to make the path (about as wide as the slab that the smaller green strawberry pot is on), then the greenhouse. So that means the existing path at the back of the workshop (you can just see it beyond the grass) has to come up and a few things had to be moved. 

So, one evening, DH and I moved the large strawberry pot and the slab it's on to a new spot on the opposite side of the garden and moved the composter and all of its contents into a new home too:

The pipes show the final choice for the position of the greenhouse and that dictated where the composter had to go. All that area has to be weeded, rotavated and flattened. That should, hopefully, get done this coming Saturday (26th). There's a four week wait for delivery, so we will hopefully order it on the Sunday... then we're on our holiday for two weeks, so there should only be another week to wait after that. Perfect timing. :0)

Can you see just how tidy the garden looks to the left of the composter? Well, that's all down to little ole me. During the latter half of last week I felt the need to really connect with Mother Earth, so decided it was time to tackle the weeding in that bed.... and the fact that I've managed to put on half a stone in weight since my operation and want it back off again was an added incentive because while I'm out in the garden I'm not tempted to eat and it's giving me some exercise! LOL I opted for the old fashioned way of working: a hand trowel, a pair of gloves and a plastic seat to sit on, to avoid the worst of the bending, with regular forays to the recycling bin to empty the weed bucket and forays up the garden to empty the stone bucket into the gaps between the path to the workshop. Starting at the end nearest the house I gradually worked my way along, with the aim being to eventually reach the composter, taking out all the weeds and as many stones as I could along the way. I realised if I thought about just how long that piece of garden is it would get really daunting.... so I concentrated on the little patch of earth in front of me at all times and ignored the rest, only stopping when my back told me it needed a rest or when it just got too dark to see. I reached the composter by Saturday tea time and here's what it looked like when I'd done:

Just a few plants got left in, along with the bluebell and tulip bulbs that will hopefully flower again next Spring. The plant in the old tub is waiting expectantly to go back in the bed somewhere.

It was a good end to the week, as it didn't start off too good, as my DH was unwell and had to have three days off work. The first day and a half he spent in bed, gradually picking up as he was able to eat light meals on Tuesday (more exercise, as I was up and down those stairs so often I started to feel like a flippin' yo-yo! LOL)... so it was a relief when he came down on Tuesday afternoon and for all day Wednesday. He went back to work on Thursday. He's feeling much better now. :0)

As he was feeling OK and in the mood for helping out we went back out into the garden tonight (Monday 21st - Litha/Summer Solstice) and he planted out the plant in the tub (you guessed it... I've absolutely no idea what it is! LOL) and two shrubs that my Dad gave us before he passed away. They were being very patient too. ;0) One is a Hebe and the other... well, that's another one that remains nameless. So here's what it looks like now:

My neighbour, Garden Pete, is going to get me some well rotted horse manure and that should also be getting dug in on Saturday, ready to improve the bed for the fruit trees going in this Autumn. Oh, and that old washing line is there for me to tweak, until I get the right curvy look for the edge of the bed. :0)

We had a trip to my DSis's on Sunday. A lovely day, catching up on gossip, indulging in some retail therapy and doing some jobs for her. She now has a flat screen monitor for her computer (no internet connection yet though) and a whole lot less stuff in her loft. Boy, was our Dad a hoarder! LOL Some items were only fit for the bin but I've brought several things back with me and put them up on Freegle, so someone can have the benefit of them. Unfortunately we arrived back home on Sunday night to the news that FIL is in hospital at the moment, undergoing tests. He's 86 so it's a bit of a worry, though I am staying calm in an effort to keep DH calm. Getting him into the garden tonight was a good distraction. Hopefully the results from the tests and today's (Tuesday) biopsy will be back so MIL will be able to tell us more when we phone her tonight. Fingers crossed it's good news.

And to end on a better note, I thought I'd share another pic from my garden. Remeber the new metal scrollwork planter I got for the back wall? Well this is what it looks like now everything is a little better established:

I think they're happy in their new home, don't you? LOL

Hope you're all having and enjoying the same lovely weather we're having in my neck of the woods. Thank you for visiting. :0)

Stitching, Gardening, Cardmaking and Chatting

After being really good last time around and having two update pics to show - Mother Earth, as well as the tiger - I'm now back under the naughty chair once again, as only the tiger came out to play this time. You can carry on blaming the garden for that because I've been out there whenever the weather allowed..... and that just doesn't leave enough time to put needle to fabric. Still, the tiger has grown some again:

He's looking a lot less disgruntled and much more dignified now, don't you think? LOL I thought I'd have this done in a couple of weeks. Hah! Seriously underestimated that, didn't I? Perhaps if I didn't garden, go to Development Circle or out to the garden centres.... and if I didn't need to eat or sleep too, I might have managed it. ;0)

As for the garden: it's fast becoming obvious that I'm a dab hand at container gardening, as they are all looking rather good now (even if I do say so myself!).... and there have been a couple of additions too - a wall hanging trough and a new small pot; it's also fast becoming obvious that I'm not too hot on the larger scale. The lawn is kept trimmed and tidy but the rest...... well, let's just pretend that you all believe me when I say that it's being left as a wildlife garden. LMAO Rather than post lots of photos I've made a slideshow for you all to view what I've done so far:

Take a good look at the pic of the strawberry plants and compostor - that area should be changing soon. Our lovely neighbours, the two Pete's, have done a job trade with DH: he fixed the electrics in their workshop and, in return, they are going to come round with a rotavator and flatten the area where the strawberry pots and compostor currently are and help us make a base for a greenhouse. We've already made a start ourselves, by moving the compostor and its contents this week - those lighter and cooler nights are a blessing! We have also been to have a look at some greenhouses and have more or less decided which one we would like - an alteration to the original plan, which was seeing if another neighbour would sell one she had that was surplus to requirements. DH is quite tall and, as he fancies pottering in there quite a bit, we need one that can accommodate his height comfortably - so the ones we've looked at have the option of higher eaves and a taller door. It would be so good to get it all sorted and have some tomatoes and cucumbers growing in there before it's too late in the season. :0)

All that bending in the garden has done for my back, so those magic needles my acupuncturist uses have been helping me with that. What it also needs is for me to rest up a little.... but that's not something I'm overly good at - if the weather is fine I want to be out of doors and once out there I find myself pottering, rather than sitting. I shall have to grab a book out of the huge pile and force myself to sit during this current warmer spell though, or I'll really start to suffer.

It hasn't been all gardening and stitching though, as I did finally get around to having a cardmaking session earlier in the week. Nothing too fancy - just basic matting and layering of some Habico pre-printed pictures. Here's another slide show for your perusal:

As you can see, I've also been playing around with my blog layout. DH and DS are out at the Guild Room today (Saturday), helping to lay a new level floor, so I have lots of time to play now my jobs are done. I think I've finally settled on a blog look that I like.... but don't quote me! LOL

I did get my new glasses..... unfortunately I keep forgetting to ask DH to take some pics. Well, it's not my most favourite thing to do. LOL Hopefully I'll remember for my next post, so you can see the total new look. :0)

Oh, before I forget: last week was time for another first for me. As DH and DS were both involved in the Blackadder II performance (DH was stage manager - DS had a small part in it and crewed backstage for the rest of the time) there was no one to go to the theatre with me. So, as I really wanted to see it..... I went on my own. Yup, drove myself there, sat and watched the performance and then drove myself home again. It was well worth the effort too, as I really enjoyed the show. I do like being this strong and independent person. :0)

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to stop by for a visit. Hope you're all enjoying the lovely weather and having a great weekend. :0)

The Tiger and The Mother

Well the tiger is coming along, slowly but surely.... unfortunately a bit more slowly than planned, due to the start of a bad case of gardening fever. Yup, the warm weather finally kicked off this week making it impossible to ignore the pull of the garden. Who can resist being out there when the blackbirds are putting their hearts and souls into their songs? Not me, that's for sure. :0)

Here's where I left off the stripey one by the end of the week:

It's rather intimidating having those eyes staring right back at you whilst you're infilling the rest of the face, I can tell you. The expression seems to say: Come on woman, get on with it and get me finished.... this is totally undignified! LOL

I was really good at the start of last week and brought Mother Earth out again. Well, I'd spent that long under the naughty chair I was in danger of taking root there! I didn't do a great deal (just about enough to make an update pic worth posting) but it felt good to be working on Her again. Here's where I left off:

In case you're not sure where I was working: a start was made on infilling the last section of the trees on this page. I forgot to zoom in on the pic so you get to see just how disgustingly grubby the material has got along the edges. * Hangs head in shame* Still, this piece has been on the go for several years..... but I'm not fessing up as to how long or my head will be hanging even lower! LOL

So what have I been up to this time around? The usual Development Circle session on Tuesday night - this week we did psychometry. I like doing this, especially as I seem to do reasonably well at it.... though do better on personal objects that have been worn, rather than not so personal items. Then there's my weekly acupuncture session..... those little needles are wonder workers where my arthritic aches and pains are concerned and I highly recommend it. Then I had my monthly Reiki session on Saturday.... always a guaranteed chill out, and this session has made me realise that I want to pursue this avenue but from the other side - I want to take this up as part of my development towards doing healing work. I hope that Aureen, my Reiki practitioner, will be willing to teach me..... or be able to recommend someone, if she's unable to do so. I also bought a couple of plants from a local shop and planted them up in the evening, when it had gone cooler. DS had also brought back another five strawberry plants from the market so I planted those up in a large container - we should have a good crop very soon. :0)

Then I've been out in the garden quite a bit. As DH and DS were busy for much of the weekend, what with the local farmer's market and the theatre Get In for this weeks performance of Blackadder II, I had a trip out in my car to one of the local garden centres........ unfortunately a big proportion of the local population had also decided it would be good to do this too. To say it was heaving would be an understatement.... but the Angel of Parking Spaces was with me and someone pulled out of a slot opposite the doors just as I drove through the gates. Thank you Angel! LOL I had planned on staying for dinner but the busy-ness of the place soon made me change that plan.... too many rude, impatient and ignorant people around, it just wouldn't have been enjoyable. So I grabbed a barrow (the last one by the doors - thank you again, Angel!) and started the rounds of the plants and into the barrow went: a lovely Lavendula; five assorted alpine plants and two Osteospernum (sp?). I couldn't find the decorative wall planter (menopausal brain fart moment) so I found a very obliging female member of staff who took me to where they were.... and she was also good enough to show me a selection of plants that would do well on a north facing wall, for which I thanked her. I wouldn't have had a clue, otherwise! LOL So into the barrow went the wall planter, three trailing plants and two flowering plants...... but please don't ask me what they're called because I can't remember. The Angel was still with me because, when I got to the tills, the large queue that had been there when I arrived had totally gone (thank you, again), so I paid, loaded up the car, put the barrow back by the door for the next customer and exited so the patiently waiting chap could have my parking spot. I guess his Angel was looking out for him too. LOL It was a very hot day on Sunday so, once I'd unloaded everything from the car, I had a cold drink and a sit down before doing much of anything else. Later in the day, when it had cooled off some, I planted up some of that days buys. I'll post pics in another post once the planter is up on the wall.

I've also had a cardmaking session. Nothing too taxing, just making up some kiddies cards from a kit I bought from Tesco a while ago.

Don't you just love those goggle eyes?

Very quick and easy to make.... and a lot of fun. All I had to provide was the foam pads and glue dots. I shall add numbers to the cards when I send them out. Am hoping that this will kickstart the cardmaking mojo, as it's been sadly lacking this year.

The sorting and moving things into the craft room has stalled again..... the garden can take the blame for that. LOL Oh, and I'm now waiting for my new specs to arrive, to complete the new look - hopefully they won't be too much longer.

Many thanks for all the lovely comments on my new look.... hopefully it hasn't scared too many of you. LOL Hope life is being kind and you're all having a good week. :0)

Giveaway Winner, Other Things.... and a New Me

My apologies for the late draw posting for the giveaway but things have been a little busy here.... and the call of the garden is strong, now that Spring has finally sprung..... eeerrmmm sort of. The nice weather we've been having here in my neck of the woods has just given way to rain which is why I'm finally in here and on the computer and not out in my garden. LOL

Firstly, the drawing for the Lily Maiden kit has been done: a piece of paper pulled out of the Crystal Chalice of Fortune with the lucky winner's name on..... and the name is..............

Kindly modelled by DH - thought you'd prefer to see his hairy arm, rather than the "Stop the Bloody Whaling" Greenpeace t-shirt he's wearing, as the blood spots on that look too real for comfort. Congratulations Gaynor. :0) If you could please leave a seperate comment on this post with your email on (which will NOT be posted) I will contact you to get your snail mail details, so I can have the kit winging it's way to you, courtesy of Royal Mail, in the not too distant future. :0)

Amongst the sorting out, jobs and gardening I've been doing I have found time for a little stitching. I'm afraid none of it was on Mother Earth though, so I am probably in the bad books over at the 2010 Weekly SAL Blog with a third consecutive no-show. Actually it's getting quite comfy under that naughty chair, as I've now got lots of cushions and the fleecy blanket to keep me warm, a stack of books (well, I've got to get through all those books I've bought from the Hospice Bookshop somehow!) and a couple of Carob bars. The Carob is because I'm dairy intolerant and don't do chocolate.... and because there's not much chance of anyone else who's under the chair wanting to nick any - it's definitely an acquired taste! LOL So when I've been sat in my armchair, instead of under the naughty chair, and the mojo has been around it's the tiger that's been getting the attention. Here's last week's update, which I didn't get around to posting:

And this is where he's at now:

I'm still undecided about that reddish-brown thread - at the moment it seems to stand out like a sore thumb and doesn't seem to go with the other colours. Am hoping that, as I stitch more, it will kind of blend in better.

Some of the gardening has involved trips around various local garden centres, along with rather nice meals out, to buy some plants, then putting them into the five wall pots: the Lady by the front door, Arthur and Guinevere on either side of the side door and the two pots that are either side of my Lady face plaque on the back of the house. I shall take pics of them and share when they're a bit better established. Whilst we were at one of the garden centres I just couldn't resist this beauty:

The bees and hornets were ecstatic over it and I just fell in love with the colours. I'm still pondering on the best spot for it to go in the garden... DH couldn't resist going round with his spray pot of poison (weed killer) one weekend, whilst I was out at the Healing Course (taking advantage of my absence, as he knows I wouldn't let him loose with the damned stuff, otherwise) so it's staying in its pot until I know it's going to be safe!

The move into the craft room is progressing slowly but surely. Most of my books are now up there, allowing me to rearrange the downstairs bookshelves in the process and accommodate some herbal and gardening books that my DSis gave me (they were our Dad's), and a few more of my books were added to the charity pile. I finally got the boxes needed and carried on with the sorting and organising of my cardmaking stash: the bulk of the peel-offs are done (need another box to do the rest) and the rubber stamps. We also had a clear out of another cupboard and the caravan too. So when The British Heart Foundation posted a bag through the door at the weekend it was perfect timing: I filled it, left it out the front on Thursday and it's been collected, saving me from having to heft it all down the street.

As for the Healing Course: I had a fantastic time and thoroughly enjoyed both weekends. Jan's cottage, where it was held, is beautiful and so much quieter than where I live - loved the peace and quiet. We'll all be meeting up again soon to have a get together and receive our certificates and booklets. I've since done a little healing on my DH, a willing guinea pig, and helped to ease a painful shoulder problem he had... and also did a little self-healing when I had a very arthritic session with my left knee, which alos eased that. Looking forward to receiving the booklet, as it will have some of the meditations and other things in that I can use as a memory jogger. On the Sunday of the second weekend I took my drum and Tibetan Singing Bowl and Wayne (the chap giving the course) took his drums and we all got to have a play - great fun. Now the others on the course have decided they're going to the Mind, Body and Spirit event at the Lincolnshire Showground next month with the intention of buying Tibetan Singing Bowls. LOL

The Course has set off some positive developments for me. I've been driving myself to Circle and back ever since, leaving DH to amuse himself at home, and have met my DSis at the Lemon Tree Tea Room in Epworth Garden Centre (it's half way between the two towns we live in) where we had a lovely meal, some warm drinks, a wander round and lots of chat. It was way outisde both of our comfort zones but we enjoyed it so much we plan on doing it, and similar trips, again. :0)

Another thing has been my decision to have a much-needed make-over. Due to the agoraphobia and panic attacks and the grief issues I'd been sadly neglecting myself. My weight had rocketed in that time and my hair grew long and straggly. Would you believe, it's been over 10 years since I last stepped foot in a hairdressers/salon and had my hair cut! It was a case of putting my hair into a scrunchie to keep it off my face.... and if the fringe got too long I just used to hack a bit off with the nail scissors.

Well, I tackled the weight and health problems, along with many of the grief issues, and have been feeling much better for it - now I am out and about and even back driving once again. So last week I finally decided that it was now time to tackle that last sign of the old, agoraphobic me..... time to do something about my hair...... and because I now know that I am also worth the time, effort and money that is involved.

So now you're going to finally find out what I look like - those with a nervous disposition or a weak heart be warned! LOL Here's a pic of the old me, taken at my DSis's one Christmas before Dad passed away, with much of the weight, untamed eyebrows and the straggly tied-back hair - believe me when I say I looked a whole lot worse than this the year after Dad passed (more weight and an ashen/grey complexion) but there aren't any pics of me from then.

The legs and arm belong to my DS, who didn't want his pic displayed, but it was the only half way decent pic I could find of me. Now here's me the evening after the waxing and hair styling session, courtesy of S, one of the ladies who goes to the Development Circle with me:

Can you tell that I hate having my pic taken? LOL Nicely shaped, under-control eyebrows and a layered-look hairstyle - though still a little red from the waxing. It's so easy to look after too: I just wash it or damp it a little, then scrunch it with some serum on my hands, then spray it with a spray gel to hold it. It takes five minutes to do, at most. I'll just be pulling the fringe a bit further forward in future, as I'm not so keen on all that forehead showing off the receeded hairline, otherwise I like the new look me...... though I do occasionally look in the mirror and double-check it's actually me! LOL The make-over isn't going to end there though, as I've made an optician's appointment for next week and I'm going to get some new specs..... and I'll be going for a new look with those, too. And plans are afoot for finding and joining both yoga and bellydancing classes - for Spiritual development, toning up and just plain fun! LOL :0)

Thank you to you all for your continued visits and kind comments. Hope you have had a good week and also have a great weekend. :0)

Not a Lot....

to share with you all this week, at least stitchy wise. You might be relieved to realise that there's no update pic of Mother Earth to show - between stitching on the tiger, spending some time in the garden, a weekend on a course and general tiredness (stitching + tiredness = frogging) resulting in early bedtimes I just didn't get around to picking Her up even once. Never mind, I shall make sure I spend at least one night putting a few stitches into that background this week.

There is an update on the tiger to show though, so at least there's something stitchy-wise to share. LOL Here's where he's at now:

Can you make out the start of an ear? He doesn't seem to grow very fast and I guess that's because there are quite a few colour changes. At least I've managed to get it up to the top edge of the design, so I can now work outwards each side, then down. I'll be putting a bit more time in on him this week, to make sure he grows much faster..... G needs him in her home asap.

Other news to share: well I've now had three solo drives in my car. :0) The first drive was just down to a local supermarket and back... but it involved driving down the local High Street and ended up a bit of a baptism of fire. There were cars and vans parked where they weren't supposed to be, with buses and lorries trying to drive round them, as well as other cars, plus buses coming up the street... and, just to make it even more interesting, kamikaze pedestrians leaping out all over the place. I didn't get out of second gear all the way down.... which suited me fine. LOL A steady wander round the supermarket for the shopping calmed me down enough to attempt the journey back up the street...... I had contemplated a detour to avoid it but I could hear my DS's voice calling me a wuss, should I fess up to that, so decided I wouldn't give him the opportunity. LOL Thankfully the journey back was way better.

The other solo drives involved journeys out to a local village and back, where I went to attend a Healing Course. The journey on Saturday had me passing a nasty accident that had happened just minutes before I got up there.... very nerve-wracking. I did debate stopping to help but there were plenty of folks around who already had, some on mobile phones calling the emergency services, so thought the best thing was to carry on and not clutter the road up anymore than it already was. So hope no one was seriously injured. I was shaking a tad by the time I arrived at my destination..... one of the ladies gave me healing, which calmed me down nicely. Sunday's journey was uneventful and much quieter....... I like Sunday driving. LOL  :0)

The course is proving interesting and is already having some positive effects. It's involved a lot of meditations and what the chap taking the course calls activations, which are designed to help us start channelling the healing energy. There's been the opportunity to use self-healing techniques and healing on others. My first hands-on experience (literally) was on W, the chap giving the course. Afterwards I asked if it had been OK (what I meant was: did I do it right?) and he boosted my confidence no end when he told me I was a natural and described what he'd felt and seen whilst I was treating him. It's also good to interact with the other participants outside of the Clinic and Development Circle setting. Next weekend I've been asked to take my drum and Tibetan Singing Bowl with me.... not sure yet what we'll be doing with those but it'll be fun to find out. LOL

Last week DS and I had a couple of sorting out sessions (another reason for the lack of stitching time). The first was in the caravan and resulted in a few things going in the bin, a few others being taken out to store elsewhere... and a pile of stuff within the caravan that we are keeping but need to work out where it's going to be stored before bringing it in, as we want to avoid having piles of stuff plonked all over the place that's to go away "when we get around to it".

The other sort out session was in the old air raid shelter in the back garden, that is currently used as storage (remember the door to the Secret Garden pic of it? LOL). More stuff for the bin (which is pretty full now), a bag of scrap tins and cans went into the recycling box, another bag of scrap metal bits went to the scrap skip at DS's work on Friday.... along with a bag full of rubbish that went in their rubbish skip. The BBQ charcoal was rescued and put into proper tubs, to keep it dry, the place swept out and everything that we decided to keep went back in tidily. You can now go in there and not fall over stuff... and actually find whatever you want. Roll on to when we can give DH's workshop the same treatment! LOL

DH has treated himself to a new lawnmower and christened it by giving the lawn its first cut of the season. The old lawnmower will be Freegle'd this week, so we don't end up with even more unwanted stuff cluttering up the place. Hopefully the caravan clear out/putting away session will continue too. Last week DH also managed to find the time to go to the office furniture place to get replacements for those three damaged shelves, plus the screw fittings we were short of, so that's no longer holding up the job. :0)

Rehearsals for Blackadder are picking up now, so DH and DS are disappearing off to those a little more regularly. The performance is in May and I really want to go and see it, so...... despite the fact that I won't have anyone to sit with, have decided I'm going to go anyway. I can drive myself there and back (DH and DS will be going far too early for me to go with them) and sit in an aisle seat, so I don't feel hemmed in by all those people - that will be a test to see how far I've come from being that panic attack ridden agoraphobic. LOL If it does prove too much I can soon pop out for some fresh air from an aisle seat without causing too much of a disturbance. Wish me Luck. :0)

Thank you for visiting and for the kind comments. Hope you all had a good weekend and a pleasant start to the week. :0)

The Winner, the Usual.... and Something New!

The names of those who entered the Giveaway went in to the Crystal Chalice of Fortune today, as I got back from my DSis's too late to do it Sunday night. My DS was  pressganged made the selection:

to reveal the winner as...........

Congratulations Cath. Please can you email me with your postal details and I'll get the package organised and into the post to you. :0)

I shall run another giveaway before too much longer, so keep your eyes peeled. :0)

Another Sunday has been and gone which means it's time for the usual Mother Earth update:

More infilling on the sky and it has some really pretty colours in there. Unfortunately there hasn't been huge progress made..... but I do have a good reason for it.

At my last Development Circle meeting one of the other participants, G, shared the news that she'd just been told that her DH's cancer is now terminal. All the ladies that go to the Circle are lovely people but G is one of those warm-hearted, caring individuals that you instantly warm to and feel like you've been friends with forever.... and, having lost family members to cancer, it was really upsetting to know what she's going to face in the coming months. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. After recently discovering that one of her Power Animal's is a tiger, she expressed the feeling that it was there to give her courage.... I thought that a picture of one would be a constant reminder to her of that courage, so instantly decided to stitch a piece for her. Oddly enough I had the perfect design in my stash: Tiger from the Janlynn Wildlife series, by Roger W Reinardy. So sharing my stitching time between ME and the Tiger means that ME will be growing at a slightly slower rate to usual until the tiger is finished. Here's the start I made:

I swapped the white 14ct aida (supplied in the kit) for that gorgeous Sugar Maple Pumpkin Patch fabric.... I thought it had the look of jungle about it, giving the right effect for the design. Can you tell that's an eye taking shape? Am glad to say that it's proving to be a nice piece to stitch. Good job really, as it would be nice to get it completed and given to G before too much longer. :0) 

As for other things: last week had a little excitement in it, as DS and DH both managed to sell their old cars on the same day! DS was very happy to make almost as much as he was asking for it.... and the Mini was going to a young chap who was going to spend time doing it up, as he was obviously a Mini enthusiast. The Tank went to a chap who was going to be using it off road.... so it will go from being a rock-steady towing vehicle and a general workhorse, to being a true 4x4. It is so good to get the front cleared and looking a little less like a scrap vehicle yard. LOL On Saturday DS and I gave the caravan's exterior a good wash, in preparation for putting it up for sale too. Someone who saw us washing it has already made enquiries about it, so we need to get the rest of it cleaned, decide what we're selling with it and on a price. Fingers crossed it's a quick sale for this too....... then DH might just get round to getting the front sorted, as in a new water pipe put in and having it block-paved. :0)

The driving is going OK. On Tuesday night DH sat in the passenger seat once again whilst I drove us out to the village where the Development Circle is held. Afterwards I drove us both home again too.... in the dark! That was another first.... and I was sat so rigid that when I got home I'd got a banging headache, until my neck muscles nicely relaxed again. Now I've done it the once I shall do it again. Unfortunately I haven't had much chance to get any further practice in as DH was busy in the evenings, Saturday I had a very intensive Reiki session in the morning, had to have a sleep in the early afternoon and then helped DS wash the caravan. Sunday DH and I were over visiting my DSis for the day and we went in his car. I do plan on driving on Tuesday night again though - with DH as passenger, as I'll be happier with him there for the return journey just once more. Am hoping to get out again a few more times this week, as I need to be confident enough to drive solo this coming weekend.... the Healing Course I am taking starts then. :0)

The move in to the Craft Room has stalled a little. I need DH to make up some dividers, for the filing cabinet drawers, out of mountboard card - the pocket dividers he got me just aren't working, as they are limited as to how much you can put in each of them and they don't go down to the bottom of the drawer. There's a lot of wasted space and I can't fit half as much in a drawer as I need to at the moment. DH still hasn't managed to find the time to take the damaged shelves back to the office furniture place for replacements either - another stall factor.

Whilst at my DSis's we had a trip to The Range. DSis had a small splurge on a few craft goodies and a duvet set to go with the new colour scheme in her back bedroom. I was extremely restrained and just bought another folder for storing peel-offs in.... so guess what I'll be doing in the next few days. LOL Unfortunately they didn't have any more storage boxes than the branch over here, so I am still looking for suitable ones. It's getting a tad frustrating now and is another contributory factor to the stall too. Ah, well.... it'll get there eventually. :0)

Thank you for taking the time to visit and for all your kind comments. Hope you all had a good weekend and a gentle start to the week. :0)